NewsOne Now: #BlackLivesMatter Audio Podcast

The movement #BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer George Zimmerman was acquitted for his crime, and the slain 17-year old was posthumously placed on trial for his own murder.

Today the battlefield in the fight for justice has expanded across the nation.

We’ve seen protesters marching through the streets changing “Black lives matter,” disrupting commerce, traffic and shutting down streets all across America in the past week in response to two separate grand juries deciding not to indict police officers Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo for killing unarmed Black men.

Fort told Martin, “We are seeing an awakening of sorts. We saw it rising out of the context of Ferguson, Mo. with the tragic shooting death ofMichael Brown.

“Many of us are recognizing on our twitter feed, on our Facebook posts, as we can see via social media and out on the streets, folks have had enough–not just in Ferguson, but all across the country.”

“We see folks shutting it down, we see folks have had enough and Ferguson is sort of a ground zero for a larger national movement,” Fort said.

Fort said that the youth in America are realizing that “although we have a Black president it doesn’t necessarily mean we have Black progress.”

While talking about the massive acts of spontaneous marches that are taking place across the country Fort explained, “Its very important not to be satisfied with symbolic protests.”

“Justice is manifested in various different ways. Folks are outside in the streets because we have not gotten it in the courts. So, policy level decisions are extremely important. I think that there are several groups on the ground that have been pushing towards policy level changes, but we also need folks out in the streets. So it’s not a either/or, it’s definitely a both/and,” Fort said.

“We need to bring all our energies to the various different sectors of this movement so that we can bring about justice.”

McKinley Freeman, Robinne Lee, Michael Rainey, and @TheRealTank. star in “Second Chance Christmas,” a TV One original movie premiering December 6 at 8/7c, just in time to warm your heart for the holidays.

All Lawrence (Rainey) wants for Christmas is his mother and the latest gaming console. Instead he gets a new dad when Maisie (Lee) decides to marry her boyfriend of six months, Malcolm (Freeman). With Malcolm comes a new home and a whole new set of rules. Of course Lawrence is NOT happy.

When a tragic accident turns Lawrence’s world upside down, he and Malcolm must adjust to their new family dynamic to survive. With a bit of love, patience, and a second chance, they just might.

While speaking about what the made for TV movie represents, McKinley said, ” We all go through things year-round and I think to me what Christmas reminds people of is the humanity that we’re all capable of throughout the year no matter what day it is. I think that to go through the ups and downs that we go through in life and to then be reminded of the things that are most important is what the holiday season is all about.”

Listen to Martin, Tank and Freeman discuss “Second Chance Christmas” in this edition of the “NewsOne Now” Audio Podcast and don’t miss the premiere of the film Saturday, December 6 at 8/7c on TV One.